Written by United Planet Volunteer Silvia

I would like to share with United Planet and the readers of this blog my experience in Cameroon. It was an unforgettable experience that I would recommend to anyone who wants to discover life in an African community.

While I was living in Boston, I had the opportunity to manage the Ambassador Program for United Planet. Working on developing the program and creating a wide network of Ambassador Clubs worldwide was an amazing experience. When I went back to Barcelona (my hometown) I definitely wanted to continue my involvement with the United Planet cause. I was very grateful when one day the Ambassador Club of Cameroon invited me to visit their community in Douala , and to get involved in their activities and projects! When I was working at United Planet, they were a very active club. They successfully carried out many different initiatives while we worked together. To visit them was an opportunity that I could not miss!

I traveled to Cameroon in August 2009 with my friend Elena. We were warmly welcomed by the Ambassador Club of Cameroon Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and other club members. Unfortunately, we couldn’t meet with Osee Romeo, the President of the club, because he was in The Gambia developing different projects together with United Planet’s Ambassador Club.

We were hosted in the club members’ home, which was located in a student area in Douala city. Upon our arrival, they prepared traditional African food and we had an interesting discussion about our cultural differences and our similarities. It wasn’t my first international experience, but I had never lived in a home with people of such a different cultural backgrounds before. It was amazing to discover how similar humans are, I believe we are united by human nature and cultures unite us when we learn to appreciate the differences between us!

Among many other activities, we visited local communities with little access to basic resources, and we discussed how this situation could be improved. Community empowerment is essential to reach real and long-lasting development, while international help is essential to empowering people in Africa. The club’s main development project is based on palm oil production to improve the local economy. By implementing the farm project, the community will be able to create jobs and empower the locals, among other positive impacts.

Living with a local African family gave us a unique opportunity to discover their culture and their beliefs. I really admire their continuous smiles and positive attitudes, in contrast with their difficult situation. I learned what an impact a positive attitude can have on our lives; I learned about their life, their music, their traditional dances, their colorful dressing, and their endless smile and warmth captivated me.

I came back to Barcelona with a stronger belief that we should work to unite the world. And I have no doubt that I will come back again someday to visit “my family in Cameroon.”

Neni le blanche!

Related Posts

• News from the UP Ambassador Club of Cameroon
• First Visit by Ambassador Club President of the Gambia, Biram Saidybah
• Celebrating United Planet Day- A Few Words From Our Team
• Cultural Diversity in Spain
• From the ground up: Canadian volunteer aids in rebuilding a town’s structure and spirit

This entry was posted on Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 10:30 am and is filed under Africa, Foreign Culture, international volunteering, United Planet, United Planet Ambassador Club. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.